Preseason games, much like the Quick Reactions on this website, are cannon fodder. Marched out for reactions, for takes, and for all the excitement and jubilance it can muster – provided things go well. The Raptors came in, missed a comical amount of shots from the outside, kicked the ball around, and tried to find their way back to some form of controlled chaos by each games end. If you wanted to be excited about this preseason, you had to be invested in end of rotation battles, end of roster battles, and the blurring progression of Precious Achiuwa.
Last night, however, OG Anunoby entered this game with a clear purpose: score the hell out of the ball. Quicker decisions, better outcomes at the end of those decisions, and a first quarter outburst to the tune of 20 points on 8-12 shooting from the floor. When everything comes together for Anunoby, it can be overwhelming. When he’s not off-balance, suddenly, we and the opposing defense remember that he’s pound-for-pound one of the strongest athletes in the NBA, with a deft touch and the ability to rise up after carving out space in the congested paint area. The little slump from beyond the arc corrected, and suddenly an accomplished shooter, proven over many years starts knocking down jumpers. At first he’s keeping advantages given off of handoffs, but eventually he’s taking Jayson Tatum off-the-bounce by his lonesome. Rejecting a screen that the defense iced and muscling downhill for an And-1. Overwhelming.
For those who might suggest that the Raptors have a logjam of talents, and maybe even too much overlap in that regard, Nick Nurse was asked about Anunoby’s performance within the context of Pascal Siakam and Gary Trent Jr.’s absence: “I think that he’s worked himself into a little bit better rhythm here. I mean, obviously the opportunities for both he and Scottie changed tonight, the volume, with Gary and Pascal off the floor. And I think those guys knew they had to be aggressive out there, plus we started Khem. So, they became primary options tonight. He found the ball himself a lot, he got himself open and he got himself in the right situations, and he’s gotta continue to do that when those other guys are on the floor.” – Nick Nurse
Additionally, the read and react offense the Raptors run does place Anunoby in a lot of decision making spots. Might he be more likely to move the ball and filter to a secondary action if Siakam or Trent Jr. are on the floor? Sure. But, a lot of the possessions he succeeded in last night, are actions we’ll see him in all season long and especially when he shares the floor with the aforementioned duo. Part of Anunoby’s lesser numbers are due to a passiveness in actions that, if he were somewhat more diligent in running, could be much more dangerous. He made tremendous decisions for his own offense last night. More written work on this on Sunday morning.
Anunoby set the tone and kept the Raptors afloat, but he was eventually given an opportunity to fade into a Raptors offense that found its way. Achiuwa found space, punched gaps, and found his way to the free throw line 13 times – and he even closed out the game in overtime with some of the deep roster guys. Christian Koloko activated his length, as he has been doing, and rummaged around in the paint on his way to 12 points on 100% shooting. He also fouled out in 16 minutes. Dalano Banton continues to find ways to succeed as an initiator, despite not possessing the size or skills that guys like Siakam, Barnes, and Anunoby have. He’s been incredibly inventive and a major positive so far.
The biggest positive by far though, was Barnes’ leap back into the bigger box-score numbers after working through an injury (that we only recently found out about) and a muted preseason that featured hardly any points, but a healthy chunk of turnovers. Barnes waved away the idea that anything was up, and downplayed his struggles, but Coach Nurse gave an honest and insightful detail of some of the things that changed:
“He certainly was aggressive. Some of that was just him being ultra-aggressive tonight, and some of it was us trying to get it to him in spots too. That’s what we want. We want him to be aggressive. When he comes out – and some of those, aren’t, maybe the greatest shots – but at least he’s playing with: ‘I’m gonna shoot em, I’m gonna take em’. He comes down, he shakes and bakes and let’s it go, like he’s gonna make it. Right? And he did make some. That to me is why it looked different than it’s looked. He seemed hesitant to pull the trigger earlier this year, turned down a lot of stuff, didn’t attack much. I loved some of his drives, I thought he really went hard, and attacked the rim hard. You know, when you’re that big and strong and you can handle like that, that’s hard. Someone’s gotta get in your way, right? And if they do, they’re gonna get run over. And a lot of times it’s hard to beat him to the spot, so you get run over and you get a foul called on you. So, I liked a lot of that aggressiveness for sure.” – Nick Nurse
Of course, these games aren’t just about tuning up or getting comfortable. This is an entertainment industry, and the Raptors sold out 3 different places (including the Bell Centre) in their Canadian tour. People love this team, and the players on it. How rewarding that these fans got to see an overtime thriller, a win, and one that featured outstanding performances from two of the most popular players on the team in Anunoby & Barnes. It’s become more real after the championship strengthened fans bonds to this team everywhere, but of course this is ‘Canada’s Team’.
As far as roster decisions, some were made shortly after the game. The details are here:
Until then, let’s try to kickback and trust Barnes’ judgement on this one: “I been comfortable. We’re just getting things started. I feel like we’re good.”
Have a blessed day.
